Delays feared in air control overhaul

The new control room will handle 6,000 flights a day

A major overhaul of air traffic control in England and Wales early on Sunday morning means plane passengers should expect delays, the head of Britain's air traffic service has warned.

Flight capacity is being reduced in case of any unforeseen problems with computer systems when a new hi-tech control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire, opens.

There will be some delays but we've worked very carefully with the airlines to try and ensure they're kept to a minimum

Nats' Richard Everitt

Travellers may experience delays, particularly on domestic and European flights, in the first 10 days of the £623m centre, which has gone massively over budget and is opening six years late.

Its takeover of much of the work from the current National Air Traffic Services (Nats) control centre at West Drayton near Heathrow, coincides with the introduction of a new flight separation system by European controllers, which is expected to add to problems.

'Safety critical'

Richard Everitt, chief executive officer of Nats, said the new centre was a "tremendous achievement" and although it had cost 50% more than expected, it was still good value for money.

"We're bringing it in very carefully, as you would expect us to do as a safety critical organisation, and that will mean that our controllers will be given time to bring on the capacity that this offers," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"There will be some delays but we've worked very carefully with the airlines to try and ensure they're kept to a minimum."

Radar screens

But Don Foster, Liberal Democrat transport spokesman, said the introduction of the new system had been "unsatisfactory from beginning to end".

"It is a pretty ridiculous situation when delays which must have been known about are only announced as the new system is introduced," he said.

Nats said the Swanwick centre is being deliberately brought online at the quietest time of year for air travel.

Its 135 new radar screens will be used to handle aircraft passing over the UK at around 20,000ft, rather than those preparing to land.

Swanwick statistics

Largest purpose-built air traffic centre in the world

Controls 200,000sq miles of airspace above England and Wales

644 staff trained to operate and maintain the system

Airspace split into over 30 flight levels

Will handle 2m flights a year, rising to 3m by 2012

6,000 flights a day at height of summer

Six hundred controllers will work in pairs, aided by new computer systems developed for the centre.

The opening follows last year's part-privatisation of Nats, with 46% of the company being taken over by an airline consortium which includes British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

'More needed'

Christopher Darke, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), welcomed the new centre.

But he called on Nats and the government to unfreeze development of a new control centre at Prestwick in Scotland, which was put on hold after 11 September.

He warned the UK needs two state-of-the-art centres to compete for future air traffic contracts under the Single European Sky initiative, when all air traffic control across Europe is integrated.

"The fall in passenger numbers has proved not so drastic or prolonged as once feared. We need, and Nats can afford, to get Prestwick on stream," he said.

Alliance dropped

The opening of Swanwick comes as British Airways and American Airlines announced their proposed alliance was off.

BA was told by the US Government the deal could only go ahead if the company surrendered 200 of its take-off and landing slots at Heathrow.

But both airlines said on Friday the conditions being laid down made the proposal untenable.